Fun with the PhotoBox app #shop!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias 

PhotoBox App

PhotoBox App

I love taking photos of my adventures with my family, often returning home with hundreds of lovely memories to look through on the computer. Digital cameras and quickly advancing technology mean that photography is no longer the preserve of the professional. Amateurs can also indulge their hobby while creating some lasting mementoes. However the act of uploading, cropping, printing etc. is often lengthy and somewhat boring. I would much rather just grab my iPad and click through an app. With this in mind I spent the weekend testing out the PhotoBox app downloaded for free from the Apple app store.

Photobox Sign in

PhotoBox Sign in

Having used PhotoBox on the computer some years ago I did manage to sign into my account to view past orders and any uploaded images. IMG_8485I wanted to print this lovely photo of my son taken a few weekends ago. From the beginning I found the app really easy to navigate.

Photobox Products

PhotoBox Products

The app offers a wide selection of product types and gifts as well as the more standard prints, I can imagine its popularity will increase near Christmas time.

Canvas Lite

Canvas Lite

I chose to order a Canvas Lite which is PhotoBox’s cheapest canvas option. The size I picked was 30.5cm X 20.3cm and cost just £10 (before P&P).

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I pressed ‘Customise’ to choose my image and check the orientation and quality of my picture. There is also the option to wrap the image completely around the edges of the canvas. I chose the normal wrap option as the app indicated that the bottom of my son’s shoes were too low down for a full wrap, plus the unhappy smiley face suggested the quality would have been reduced.

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Ordering was a doddle, I simply selected my payment method and off whooshed my order.

Photobox Checkout

PhotoBox Checkout

The canvas arrived really quickly. It appears to be very good quality and not lacking anything considering this was the ‘Lite’ option.  However some kind of miscommunication occurred between the app and the printing process. It had converted my image to landscape and caused bad stretching and an image that I couldn’t display.

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It was a shame that no quality control checks picked up on this mistake. However when I contacted PhotoBox they were very apologetic and immediately reordered the canvas for free in the correct portrait mode. Their technicians are going to look into the issue so hopefully it shouldn’t happen again. For this reason I can’t fault their customer service, they provided a polite and speedy fix to the problem and I wouldn’t hesitate to order from them again.

I also wouldn’t hesitate to use the app again. The process was so quick and simple it’s almost too easy, I may end up with walls completely covered!!

Fellowes AeraMax Air Purifier Review – Help with Hayfever!

Every summer I relish the bright blue skies and rising temperatures that summer brings but my glee is short lived when hayfever strikes and my sleep suffers. In my quest to feel well enough to actually enjoy the whole of summer I’m bringing you my Fellowes AeraMax Air Purifier Review, specifically the AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier. It claims to be able to zap away all the nasty things that lurk unseen within our homes, theoretically this would help hayfever sufferers to live and sleep at ease. It would also work for a myriad of other airborne particles.

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Having tried a different air purifier in the past (admittedly it was a very cheap one) and finding that it didn’t really help much I was hopeful about the AeraMax and sceptical all rolled into one.

IMG_8221Setting Up

The machine arrived well protected within it’s cardboard box and it’s surprisingly light for its size. The only setting up is the insertion of the filter, which just pops inside a side drawer.Aeramax Air Purifier Review

Starting Up

The AeraMax is very easy to use but you have to read the manual to understand what the various buttons actually do. However the basic gist is to turn the machine on at the back and it will set itself to auto and analyse the air which adjusts the fan speed accordingly. If you suffer from hayfever and feel the air needs a boost then press the plus sign button. You can also control the fan speeds manually if you prefer. The circular sensor changes colour depending on the air quality in the room, blue is good, amber roughly medium and red is poor.

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But does it work!?

All the fancy controls and science blurb don’t mean much if a product doesn’t actually work… however the AeraMax DX55 does! I’ve been sleeping sneeze free since it arrived and I even leave it on during the day, I think I’m semi addicted to the fresh feeling it creates and the lack of allergies is most appealing.

IMG_8382During the first few days of testing my youngest caught a bug and kept waking through wheeziness and coughing. I popped the air purifier in his room and he slept straight through, I’m convinced this really helped him. Plus neither of his siblings caught the virus and I can only assume that is because the AeraMax zapped the bugs out of the air before they inhaled them!

Would I recommend this machine?

I honestly think that every home should have one whether your problem is hayfever, dust, stagnant air or any other airborne woe. This machine will give you a fresh and clean environment that I don’t think can be matched. I basically love this little device.

Could it be improved in anyway?

I think it would look quite funky in matt black, as it is it reminds a little too much of a dehumidifier at present but I’m being really picky coming up with that one.

Are there other sizes available for smaller/larger rooms?

There are indeed, pop on over to the Fellowes website to see the full range.

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Having fun with sugru, plus a Father’s Day offer!

sugruIn todays post I’ve been having fun with sugru, it’s a wonderful new product which promises to enhance your life through it’s never ending applications. sugru are also running a Father’s Day promotion which makes this post quite timely.

I first heard about sugru when my Dad was enthusing about it, it acts like play dough but sets to a durable rubber and can be used for a huge range of purposes from DIY to stamp and jewellery making! It’s one of those odd products that someone tells you about and you’re kind of  interested but once you’ve had a play and have some sugru at your disposal you start to get really excited! I can’t think of any other situation where you can mould rubber to your own design. The uses are endless, but if you’re stuck for ideas YouTube and the sugru website are chock full of weird and wonderful creations from other fans around the world.

‘..sugru, a new wonder material described by many as  play dough for adults, that sticks to almost anything and sets over night.’ IMG_8246 IMG_8249The good folks at sugru sent me over my own pack to try out and I can say without hesitation that I love sugru! I started small by mending my husband’s leather boots. The sole had become detached and he was ready to throw his well loved shoes into the bin, so I figured that there was no harm in rolling a little sugru around the heel just on the off chance that it might help. I have to confess I didn’t think this putty like substance could ever be strong enough to mend a boot…. but it did!IMG_8250 IMG_8255 As you can see in my photos I rolled the sugru into a thin tube and inserted around the detached heel before pushing the heel down. I even placed a blob onto the sole where it had worn unevenly (will have to talk to my hubs about good posture methinks). The result is fabulously fixed toe warmers, I couldn’t have been more impressed! IMG_8274 IMG_8276Not one to be satisfied with mere cobbling though I set about my next sugru test. After watching a wonderful video showing how sugru could be used to attach Lego bricks to almost anything, I decided to create a dog cam. I wanted to attach a wireless camera using Lego to a dog collar to view the world as seen through the eyes of my dippy Dalmatian.IMG_8278 This was another resounding (and hilarious) success which I can share with you here in my latest YouTube video. Some of the picture is rather shaky but getting a happy dog to walk in a calm and orderly fashion is a bit impossible 🙂

Check out a special Father’s Day offer HERE and see some of the ways people use sugru around the world  – so you can sound like you know what you’re talking about when Dad opens his gift!

sugru is available at a wide range of retailers including B&Q, Wilko and Maplin, outdoor stores including Blacks and Ellis Brigham as well as online at sugru.com. Sold in packs of 3 from £6.99 and packs of 8 uses from £12.99, sugru is available in a variety of colours – red, yellow, blue, black and white, all of which can be blended to make any colour you like!